ARTH 101 Research paper: How to write an art history research paper and not epically (what even how do you spell this word) fail

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How to Write an Art History Research Paper and not Epically Fail
By Alison Thompson 
STEP 1:
Pick your topic
“The paper is to be a study of an aspect of the art of any western culture before 1500, or any
aspect of the art of a non-western culture from any time period. You should probably choose one
art form (sculpture, architecture, painting) so that your paper is not too broad. One of the most
important aspects is to stress how the artwork reflects the concerns of the culture - its history,
social structure, ideas about the afterlife, or the like.”
 DO: Choose a topic that is something we went over in class already
 DO: Choose a topic that has more than 5 books of information written about
it
 DON’T: Choose a contemporary work with little information about the
piece/topic/historical significance
 DON’T: Choose something you could care less about
STEP 2:
Research your topic
“All papers dealing with cultures that had a written language must provide one primary source.
A primary source is something written at the time the artwork was produced. Examples could be
inscriptions, poems, essays, eyewitness accounts – any kind of writing that provides information
about the culture you are studying; it does not have to refer to an artwork specifically. It does
have to be quoted directly, though, and not just mentioned in your paper…… You are to have at
least three library sources, not including encyclopedias and general works or the internet.
All of the above may be used, and must of course be referenced, but they cannot be included in
the three sources. Valid sources would be books or journal articles. “
 DO: Find ATLEAST three books on your topic
 DO: Use mostly books from the library
 DO: Take those books out now
 DO: Look for a viable primary source; not something that doesn’t have any
significant information to your topic
 DON’T: Wait until the day before the paper is due to research
 DON’T: Use only online articles
 DON’T: Use your textbook as your only source of information

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STEP 3
Actually write your essay
“The paper is to be 7-10 pages, double-spaced, with foot- or endnotes and a bibliography.”
 DO: Write out a to-do list/outline of what you want your paper to look like
 DO: Write out a list of each major topic you want to cover
 DO: Make a point; you are not just talking about your subject, you are
proving your point/thesis statement
o EX) I wrote a paper about the Minoan Snake Goddess, and how
research and evidence shows they were worshiped in not only in the
home, but as well at outside shrines – My overall goal was to prove why
this statement is true through viableresearch
 DO: Make the essay a FULL 7-10 pages; If you are planning to only write 7,
you best be making sure it is a FULL 7 page or I/Dr. Downing will take off
points; aka just write 8 pages
 DO: Cite cite cite cite cite cite cite (See STEP 4)
 DO: Add page numbers at the bottom right corner of the page
 DON’T: Count the bib and endnote page toward your 7-10; it is 7-10
RESEARCH, with a few extra pages for citations
 DON’T: Do wacky formatting just to get the page number count
 DON’T: Be Kuzco and keep repeating yourself
 DON’T: Makeup information because you’re too lazy to do the research
STEP 4:
Citation and create a bibliography and footnotes page
“Art historians do not use the MLA style (parentheses) for references (Murray 1980, 22). There
are a number of reasons for this, the main one, for ancient art at least, being that for many
references we do not have accurate dates… Use the Chicago Style…. Footnotes/endnotes: In
text: place a superscript number or a number in parentheses at the end of the sentence.1 (1) You
do not have to use footnotes at the bottom of each page; you may put them all at the end of the
paper, on a separate page, numbered chronologically. If you use the same reference, you
may use an abbreviated form for the second reference, but you may not use the same footnote
number.2 Bibliography: This must be on a separate page, alphabetical with the last name of the
author first.”

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STEP 4 (cont.):
 DO: USE THIS SITE!!!!
>http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
 DO: Cite every little thing
 DO: If you are using one article/book for a large piece of content in a paper,
or example in one paragraph, you can save the footnote to the end; aka use
a footnote for the last sentence to indicate when you are done using
that source
 DO: If you are going to use images to refer to, put those at the END on
their own separate page and title them “Figure 1, Figure 2, etc” and state
where you got the image from using the proper citation.
 DON’T: Make this harder than it has to be; it’s just a footnote and a
footnotes page
HOW TO CITE USING CHICAGO:
1. Write a sentence using your own words to interpret an idea found in
the source you are reading//Use a quote from the passage to make a
point
2. Complete the sentence/thought with a footnote at the end.1
3. The period goes BEFORE the footnote
4. While you’re writing your paper, add that footnote information to your
endnotes page AND bib; DO NOT WAIT ‘TIL THE END; it’s too
confusing 
5. Make an endnotes page (a list from 1-# of your citations in order)
6. Make a bibliography page (a list of all your sources in alphabetical
order)
7. *Each source may have a different citation format. For example,
citing an online journal is different than citing a book by one author
(see the link posted early for more info)

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EXAMPLE
Known as Kamares Ware, this type of pottery was widely used during the Aegean Bronze Age,
and consisted of unique characteristics of contrasting colors, a bridge-spout, and nature inspired
decorations.2
Endnotes (Its own page)
1. Authors first then last name, Title of Book/Article (City of Publication : Publisher, Date), Page
Numbers.
2. From the Land of the Labyrinth: Minoan Crete, 3000-1100 B.C. (New York: Alexander
S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, in collaborations with The Hellenic Ministry of
Culture and The Archaeological Museums of Crete, 2008), 35-37.
3. From the Land of the Labyrinth: Minoan Crete, 3000-1100 B.C., 15.
Bibliography (It’s own page)
**The difference is the bib uses periods and does not have the page numbers
Author’s last name, First name. Title of Book/Article. City of Publication : Publisher, Date.
From the Land of the Labyrinth: Minoan Crete, 3000-1100 B.C. New York: Alexander S.
Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, in collaborations with The Hellenic Ministry of
Culture and The Archaeological Museums of Crete, 2008.